7 Essential Yoga Items to Bring to Every Class

Ready to head off to a yoga class? Before you do, make sure you’re prepared with all the right gear.

While virtually all professional studios provide students with necessary equipment like blocks, bolsters, and straps, there are always a few extra items you can bring yourself to make your yoga experience a lot more comfortable and enjoyable.

Here are seven recommendations.

1. Your yoga mat.

If you’re just getting started and don’t have a mat of your own yet, you can count on your studio to have several that you can borrow. The main benefit of bringing along your own is that you know that you and only you have spent time practicing on it—meaning that you also have control over its cleanliness. No matter how clean or unclean your own mat may be, at least you know the germs on it came from you!

2. A yoga towel.

Studios typically provide clean hand towels to their students to use during class, but these days, you can get super absorbent, no slip yoga towels that are compact and can be easily stored in your yoga mat. These yoga-specific towels are great to lay out flat on the surface of your mat during Bikram yoga to help catch sweat and prevent any slippage.

3. A water bottle.

Be prepared to work during your first yoga class! Taking a sip of water between sequences can help keep you going while preventing dehydration. You’ll want to bring a reusable bottle with no finicky cap or top so you can easily pick it up instantly and drink from it.

4. A headband and extra hair tie.

In yoga, expect to find yourself upside down, turned sideways, lying down, and everything in between. If you have long hair, it can definitely get in the way and become a distraction as you move through each pose, so bringing along any extra hair accessories—a headband, hair ties, and even bobby pins—can save you from the frustration of always having to move your hair out of your face.

5. Natural hand sanitizer or wipes.

A lot of other sweaty people are touching those yoga blocks, that studio floor, and the doorknob to get into the yoga room. After class, it’s probably necessary to wash your hands to avoid spreading germs, and having a travel-sized bottle of sanitizer or antibacterial wipes to use can be super handy. You can even give your feet a quick rub or wipe if you walked barefoot across the studio floor.

6. A healthy, energizing snack.

Whether you’re rushing to class after work or running off to meet up with friends after your class is done, having a quick snack to munch on pre- or post-yoga can be a real lifesaver. When there’s no time to fuel up beforehand or replenish your energy afterward, brining a healthy energy bar, a banana, a handful of almonds, or another favourite snack can go a long way.

7. A small wallet or purse.

Last but not least, it’s worth having a smaller storage solution for all your extra items rather than lugging your big purse around and having to store it outside the yoga room, in a locker, or out in the open on the coat rack. If you’re a Yogi Surprise member of our Lifestyle Box, you’ll be receiving a card holder wallet from Batik Boutique in our November box—perfect for keeping your driver’s license, studio membership card, debit/credit card, cash, and keys all in one place. Best of all, it’s small enough to easily fit in your yoga mat bag too!